BARMER, July 17 -- As India and Pakistan grapple with renewed tensions and diplomatic freeze following Operation Sindoor, the impact has spilled beyond military manoeuvres and policy decisions - striking at the very core of human relationships. Amid suspended dialogues and cancelled visas, love stories once blessed across borders now stand ruptured. In Western Rajasthan and Punjab, where cross-border marriages have long been a bridge between hearts, dozens of families find themselves broken - dreams halted, weddings postponed, and lives placed in limbo. In one remarkable case, a family from western Rajasthan, despairing of any future thaw in relations between the two nations, decided to shift their son's wedding to neutral Nepal. There, both Indian and Pakistani families gathered, and the couple tied the knot - far from home, yet united in defiance of division. The family, belonging to the Suthar community, chose to remain anonymous. They had fixed their son's engagement with a girl from the Tharparkar district in Pakistan, and the wedding was scheduled for June. Following this, the bride's family applied for Indian visas. However, before the visas could be approved, the Pahalgam terror attack shattered their hopes. With little hope of any diplomatic breakthrough in the near future, both families decided to move the wedding from India to Nepal. On June 13, the couple was married there in a quiet ceremony. However, as the bride does not have an Indian visa, the newlyweds have remained in Nepal ever since. In another heart-wrenching case, a cross-border wedding scheduled for May 12 was abruptly called off. As India revoked all Pakistani visas following Operation Sindoor, the groom was stopped at the Wagah border and forced to return alone, leaving behind shattered hopes and waiting hearts. Following the Pahalgam terror attack that worsened India-Pakistan relations, a cross-border wedding from Rajasthan's Barmer district was abruptly stalled. The groom, 25-year-old Shaintan Singh, was engaged four years ago to Kesar Kanwar from Pakistan's Amarkot district. After years of visa delays, Singh's family finally secured travel clearance in February and scheduled the wedding for April 30. However, as tensions rose and India revoked Pakistani visas, Singh's wedding procession was stopped at the Wagah-Attari border and forced to return home, dashing the family's long-held hopes. And for two Pakistani women who finally received Indian visas to join their Indian husbands after two long years of delay, the joy was painfully short-lived. They reached their marital homes on April 13, only to be told they must return within two weeks - casualties of a sudden and sweeping visa cancellation order. After nearly two years of waiting, two Pakistani brides-Karam Khatoon (21) and Sachul (22)-finally reunited with their Indian husbands, Saleh Mohammad (26) and Mushtaq Ali (27), in Rajasthan's Jaisalmer on April 13. The couples had married in 2023 in Pakistan's Ghotki district but were separated due to visa delays. Their joy, however, was short-lived. Following the Pahalgam terror attack, India revoked all visas issued to Pakistani nationals from April 27. Left with no option, both brides returned to Pakistan the same day. Responding to the situation, Haji Abdullah, father-in-law of the brides and a resident of Jaisalmer, said, "My sons married these girls. Both arrived in India to settle here and live together as a family, not just for a short visit. But rising tensions between the two countries have torn them apart. We are not responsible for the violence or the politics, yet we are being punished. This is not justice. The government should consider our situation on humanitarian grounds and grant us relief." Dileep Singh Sodha, social activist and cross-border peace advocate who works for the welfare of Pakistani migrants, said, "These are not just stories of separation - they are living testimonies to how geopolitics can intrude into the most intimate corners of life. Love is caught between two nations, and for now, there is no roadmap home." He further said, "Governments make decisions driven by security concerns - and there is nothing wrong in that. But at the same time, they must not forget the human cost."...